On Saturday, behind the DPW, people will line up to shoot BB guns at paper targets, and a high score wins a turkey. The Nahant Lions Club Turkey Shoot runs Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it starts the holiday season on the peninsula.
From now through Dec. 9, the calendar follows a pattern. Almost every holiday gathering in Nahant between now and mid-December is a fundraiser, each one is run by a different volunteer organization, and each sends its proceeds somewhere specific. The Lions, the Women's Club, the Historical Society and Village Church each have a weekend. The calendar tells you where to go, and it also tells you which group your ticket or raffle money supports.
Saturday, Nov. 21: The Lions, Behind the DPW
The Town of Nahant listed the Lions Club Turkey Shoot last year as supervised shooting under safety protocols. Participants fire BB guns at paper targets, the highest scores win turkeys, and there is also a turkey raffle and refreshments. That 2025 listing said the profits go to Nahant Lions charities.
The town's 2024 listing gave more detail. Turkeys went to the top scores in each group of 20 targets, and proceeds supported eye research, particularly the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund. The format has stayed the same from year to year. Prices and specific terms can change, so the details at the table on Saturday are the ones that count.
Two days later, on Monday, Nov. 23, Nahant Village Church is delivering a kindness box to the Police Department and the Harbormaster. Its November newsletter invites residents to contribute snacks, drinks or thank-you cards. It isn't a fundraiser, but the same volunteers run it in the same weeks, and it goes to the people who staff the town through the holidays.
Saturday, Nov. 28: The Women's Club, Inside Town Hall
The Saturday after Thanksgiving belongs to the Nahant Women's Club. Its Annual Holiday Fair runs Saturday, Nov. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Town Hall, 334 Nahant Road.
The Women's Club calls the fair its biggest fundraiser. According to its listing in the town directory, the money funds two scholarships for local graduating seniors and supports local charities and organizations. Last year's fair had vendors selling clothing, art and jewelry, along with raffles and a silent auction.
Holding the fair at Town Hall also starts the shopping season at the building that anchors the town's December. Last year the Town Hall Tree Lighting took place there on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with holiday songs, cocoa, treats and Santa. Earlier that day, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Santa visited the Christmas tree lot at Lowlands Park on Nahant Road. This year's lighting date will be posted on the town calendar.
Sunday, Nov. 29: The Historical Society, at Village Church
The next afternoon, the Nahant Historical Society holds its holiday concert in the Village Church sanctuary. "Dashing Through the Snow" is part of the Society's Celebrating the Arts series. It brings back the Dashing Rock Celtic Trio on Sunday, Nov. 29, at 3 p.m.
The Society's event page describes a program that tells the Nativity story through Celtic music and song, mixing popular tunes and carols with traditional Celtic material. Tickets cost $30 for adults and $15 for students. Children 14 and under get in free with an adult. RSVPs go to [email protected] or 781-581-2727. You can pay by cash, by check payable to NHS, or by Venmo to NHS with "11/29 Concert" in the memo.
The concert also introduces the venue for most of December. After Nov. 29, nearly every remaining fundraiser on the calendar takes place at Village Church, 27 Cliff Street.
Dec. 2 to Dec. 9: Village Church's Week
The church's fair season starts with a work session. The newsletter invites people to the annual Greens Assembly Party on Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. in Swansburg Hall, where volunteers prepare greens for the fair.
The Annual Christmas Fair is Saturday, Dec. 5. The church calls it its biggest fundraiser of the year, and it is collecting jewelry for the fair's Jewelry Shop, gift cards worth $25 or more and scratch tickets of any value for its raffles. Last year's fair ran from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Daily Item's coverage of the 2025 fair described local vendors, a jewelry table, baked goods, a raffle calendar, lobster rolls and pizza. It also reported that fair proceeds help fund the church's community outreach throughout the year. The newsletter asks for volunteers on fair day for setup, selling and cleanup, and notes that even half an hour helps.
The church's week ends with music. "Ring in the Season" is Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. The Singing Sea Stars children's choir and the Nahant Seaside Sirens sing Hanukkah favorites, Christmas carols and canons. The Village Ringers bell choir performs, along with violin, flute and organ. The newsletter calls it a community concert, open to all.
Each Weekend Has Its Own Group and Cause
| Date | Event | Organizer | Venue | Where the money goes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Turkey Shoot | Nahant Lions Club | Behind the DPW | Lions charities; eye research in 2024 |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | Holiday Fair | Nahant Women's Club | Town Hall, 334 Nahant Road | Two scholarships for local graduating seniors; local charities |
| Sun., Nov. 29, 3 p.m. | "Dashing Through the Snow" | Nahant Historical Society | Village Church | Celebrating the Arts concert series |
| Wed., Dec. 2, 2–4 p.m. | Greens Assembly Party | Nahant Village Church | Swansburg Hall | Fair preparation |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Annual Christmas Fair | Nahant Village Church | 27 Cliff Street | Church's year-round community outreach |
| Wed., Dec. 9, 7 p.m. | "Ring in the Season" | Nahant Village Church | Sanctuary | Community concert |
The events don't overlap. The Lions, the Women's Club and the church's fair each hold a different Saturday, and the Historical Society takes the Sunday in between. A household could attend all of them without a conflict. Each Saturday also funds a different cause: eye research or other Lions charities on Nov. 21, scholarships for graduating seniors on Nov. 28, and church outreach on Dec. 5.
Between the Fundraisers
The calendar also includes events that aren't fundraisers. American Legion Post 215 hosts weekly Friday Veterans Socials in the Life Saving Station. The town calendar lists them from 5 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 20, Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, with more sessions on Dec. 11 and 18. On Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., the town calendar lists a Veterans Mobile Food Market for Nahant veterans and their families.
What's The Scoop? Ice Cream Cafe at 157 Nahant Road has its first holiday season this year. It held its grand opening on Sept. 17. Marblehead Weekly News reported that it serves coffee and ice cream, and that at opening it kept hours from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. On a Saturday morning after the Women's Club fair opens, it is a short trip down Nahant Road.
Dec. 21: The Parking Ban Ends the Season
The holiday calendar thins out as the winter resident parking rules take effect. The Nahant Police Department's overnight ban runs from Dec. 21 to March 20, between midnight and 6 a.m. Vehicles without an approved waiver can be ticketed and towed, and all vehicles must be off the street during snow.
If you're a longtime Nahant homeowner thinking about what the next few years might look like, whether that means staying put, downsizing or passing a family house to the next generation, I'm glad to talk it through with you privately and without pressure. Annie Wachtel offers a confidential market consultation, and I hope to see many of you at Town Hall on the 28th.
